Banner by Vampkiss
Banner
by Vampkiss
Chapter 14
Spike set the Slayer on her feet and watched as she glided
up the walkway next to the older vampiress. She looked quite fetching in all of
her finery, but he’d gotten used to woman wearing a whole lot less. Still…
He turned away from her to dismiss the coachman before following the two women
inside. He nodded to the butler who greeted him with a stiff, “Good evening,
m’lord,” and caught a glimpse of the Slayer as she moved along the banister and
out of sight.
Figuring that she’d be a while with her maid, Spike walked to his study and
poured himself a liberal dose of the brandy. For being stuck in the past, this
situation wasn’t half bad…he could actually get used to the bowing and scraping
that came with being a titled nobleman – something that hadn’t been the case
when he’d been the poncey William, his pre-vampire days. Now, with the ton
clamoring for his presence, Spike had to grin at the irony.
Another thought caused the smile to slip away, a frown marring his features. He
knew he had a "father" - but he thought that they were "estranged." But,
apparently the old man was on his deathbed, if the summons glaring up at him
from its place on his desktop were any indication. He eyed the seal of the
Marquess of Chadsworth and resigned himself to another visit to the countryside.
Although, what his father would want with him, was anyone’s guess.
He snorted into his glass before downing the contents in one long swallow.
Crossing to the bar, he refilled his glass and settled behind his desk to go
over the correspondence that never seemed to clear from the surface. All the
while, he waited for the sounds of the various heartbeats resounding in his ear
to slow, signaling their slumber.
~*~*~*~*~
Spike stepped inside his room and dismissed his valet. He crossed the interior
of the room, his stocking feet making no noise on the wooden floor, as he stood
before the mantle of the fireplace. The flickering flames provided the only
light in the room while he sipped idly at the brandy held loosely in his grasp.
He gazed at the fire as his mind drifted over his current predicament.
He’d been in sticky situations – hell, the incident in Prague had been a close
call – but nothing like this. Since his turning, he’d always had his Sire, but
now he found himself alone, only the Slayer (and he was still laughing at the
irony of that) for company, and his only means of returning. And the fates, or
those bloody Powers, forcing him to claim the girl to keep her alive
indefinitely…it was their fault he was feeling this way.
It went against everything a vampire was, stood for.
But, as he twirled the amber liquid in his glass before swallowing the remaining
contents in one long gulp, he found that he couldn’t seem to care. And therein
lay the rub. Spike, William the Bloody, Master Vampire of the Aurelius line…was
falling for the slip of the girl currently ensconced in her room down the hall.
The Slayer of Slayers was becoming a traitor to his kind. His dark princess was
fast fading to a distant memory the more time he spent with the girl. His sire,
the dark-haired vampiress that had gifted him with immortality, was just a
blurry image in his mind…and he hated it.
So, he blamed the Powers. Shoot, he blamed Drusilla for getting hurt in the
first place – thus forcing him to come to the Hellmouth in order to seek out her
cure. If he hadn’t come to Sunnyhell, he would never have encountered the
Slayer, never have lusted after her even while plotting her demise, never have
slipped his fangs into her neck and sipped the delicious nectar of her blood,
would never have found himself stuck in this internal struggle.
Refusing to dwell any longer, he pushed away from the mantle with a snort. Want.
Take. Have. That was a vampire’s motto. The Slayer was his…so, if he wanted her,
he’d take her. And damn the consequences.
~*~*~*~*~
Elizabeth was having a wickedly sinful dream. Her lover was there, in her bed,
doing pleasurable things with his hands and tongue. Somehow her nightgown had
been stripped from her, leaving her nude body open to his gaze. She felt his
hands slip lower, felt one finger as it teased the opening of her slit, coating
the digit with her desire. Her hips bucked off the bed as first one and then
another slipped inside her passage.
“More,” she demanded. For in her dreams, she was able to shed the virginal
attributes of her upbringing and give in to her baser nature. She sighed with
pleasure when she felt a third finger join the other two…but it still wasn’t
enough.
Showing an uncanny amount of strength, she pushed him to his back and settled
herself on top of him. She heard him growl and glanced down at his vampiric
features. Using both hands, she ran them over the ridges above his brow in a
soothing caress. His eyes closed, shielding his amber gaze from hers, and leaned
into her touch.
Moving her hand from his face, she trailed them over his sharp cheekbones and
along his neck muscles. Emboldened by her lover's reactions, she moved lower,
running them over the black leather covering his shoulders, and down along his
stomach hid by the black tee. Her hands hovered over the button to his jeans and
she gazed back up at him…unsure how to proceed.
“Spike, I need…”
In a flash she was on her back, her legs spread wide as William filled her with
his length. The remnants of her dream blurred, the sudden burst of sensation
between her legs forced her eyes open to lock with those of her lover. Her legs
lifted, wrapping around his lower back and holding him in place.
Spike’s hips pistoned back and forth, suddenly overcome with desire at her brief
show of strength and aggression. He wasn’t going to last long this first time,
could already feel his balls tightening with his impending release. Slipping his
hand between their joined bodies, he stroked her clit. His eyes rolled back in
his head as he felt her inner walls clench around him as her orgasm slammed
through her body.
Gritting his teeth, his pace increased until he too gave into his body’s
demands. With a hoarse shout, he sunk his fangs into her neck, drinking her
blood as his cock pulsed with his spendings.
The second penetration coaxed another orgasm from her body, and she could do
nothing but hold on tightly as the sucking sensation at her neck triggered an
answering thrum at her core.
He collapsed on top of her and Elizabeth gloried in the feel of his weight. She
winced slightly as he pulled his fangs from her neck then sighed in pleasure as
his tongue laved the fresh marks.
“Mine,” she mumbled, “don’t care what she says…”
With a contented sigh, she drifted off to sleep…only to be awoken an hour later
by her insatiable vampire.
~*~*~*~*~
“What are your plans for today?” he asked the vampiress.
“Actually, we’re staying in. Going to let the excitement build as far as
Elizabeth goes. Although, I suspect we’ll receive a few visitors from the small
gathering we attended yesterday.”
Spike grunted.
“I’ll be gone a few days to Chadworth Estates. I’d prefer if Elizabeth were to
stay here, inside, while I’m gone. Throw a small party here…whatever. Just stay
inside.”
The vampiress gazed at the master vampire, but seeing the set features of his
face, wisely chose to nod her head in assent.
Spike, for his part, hated to leave the Slayer…worried that her memories were
going to come back while he was rusticating in the country with his father,
answering the demand for his presence. He would have taken the Slayer with him,
but he’d already be flying by the seat of his pants once he confronted the
Marquess – he didn’t need the added mix of his “ward” thrown in as well. Really,
he would have preferred to not show at all, but he couldn’t very well ignore the
summons from the old man.
~*~*~*~*~
He knew it was the Slayer before she even knocked on his door seeking entrance.
Rather than call out, he walked over and opened the door to his sanctuary.
“You wanted something, pet?” he asked, holding the door open so she could enter.
She walked into the room as he shut the door behind her, taking in the masculine
décor of the space. She stopped, not facing him, hugging her arms about herself
to ward off a sudden chill.
Turning, she watched him as he leaned against the closed door, arms folded over
his chest as he smirked at her. She didn’t know what was wrong with her…how the
thought of him leaving her – again – could make her feel this way. And the idea
of all those women throwing themselves at him…she just couldn’t stand it.
Unshed tears in her eyes, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms about his
waist as she allowed them to fall.
For his part, Spike looked down at the Slayer, arms held out wide as she latched
onto him. He felt her shoulders shaking and sighed in resignation as his arms
closed around her back, holding her close.
“What’s this, kitten?” he murmured into her hair.
Disjointed words of “mommas” and “catch” drifted up to him in between her sobs,
but it was the “mine” and “miss you” that got to him. Sliding an arm beneath her
knees, he lifted her up against his chest and crossed to the chaise lounge. He
sat, settling her on his lap, and proceeded to stroke her hair as he held her
close while she cried.
The sound of her tears was doing crazy things to him. Her heartfelt sobs were
affecting him in ways he’d yet to fathom…made him want to tear out the heart of
whoever caused them.
“It’s ok, luv. I’m only going to be gone a few days. I’d take you with me but I
don’t think he can handle seeing my ward just yet. But, I’ll be back before you
know it. Mrs. Rothworth will keep you so busy with callers and such that you’ll
barely even know I’m gone.”
Slipping his left hand up under her chin, he urged her to look at him. He
brushed lips across her forehead, tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her
ear. There he went again, being all soft with her. But instead of getting angry
and storming away, Spike just pulled her close and held her.
The two remained that way for several moments until reluctantly, he set her away
from him so that he could leave.
“Behave, Slayer,” he told her, then was gone.
Elizabeth watched him leave, her hand held high as she waved goodbye. He never
saw; he didn’t turn around.